noun, used as a prefix, noun, used as a suffix
Used as a prefix or suffix to indicate the female of an animal species, e.g., 雌犬 (female dog), 雌ライオン (lioness).
See also: 雄 (お)
Our female cat gave birth to kittens.
smaller (of two); weaker (of two)
Prefix used in specific compound words to denote the smaller or weaker of a pair, such as 雌滝 (the smaller of two waterfalls). Not freely productive.
See also: 女滝
Only when written 女
Archaic noun meaning 'woman'. In modern Japanese, 女 (おんな) is used instead.
Only when written 妻
Archaic noun meaning 'wife'. Modern Japanese uses 妻 (つま).
I saw a female panda at the zoo.
The word 雌滝 refers to the smaller of two waterfalls.
In classical Japanese, 雌 can be read as め and mean woman.
In old Japanese, 雌 could be read as め and mean wife.
雄 is the male counterpart, used for male animals and the larger/stronger of a pair.
女 (おんな) is the standard modern word for 'woman', replacing the archaic め.
妻 (つま) is the standard modern word for 'wife', replacing the archaic め.
cow; heifer
pistil
female flower; pistillate flower
Japanese red pine; Pinus densiflora
female plant
queen bee
female pig; sow
female bird · hen; female chicken
female screw; internal thread; nut
Themeda triandra var. japonica; a variety of kangaroo grass
Standard kanji for female animals; also used in compounds for the smaller/weaker of a pair.
Archaic kanji for 'woman' or 'wife'; not used in modern Japanese for these meanings.
Archaic kanji for 'wife'; modern Japanese uses 妻 (つま).
Alternate kanji for female animals, mainly in older or specialized texts.
Native Japanese word. The reading め is ancient and appears in many compounds. The kanji 雌, 女, 妻, and 牝 are all associated with female meanings, but their use with this reading is largely historical or specialized.
female calf; young heifer; heifer calf
southern crabgrass
Kandelia obovata; mangrove species